Tag Archives: West Philadelphia

As part of our Day in the Life series, Rose Richardson, executive director for theWest Philadelphia Senior Community Center shares how her day is shaped to help members and staff have a successful and meaningful time .

My day usually starts early in the morning. Today I got in around 6:30 so we could prepare breakfast for the members that were going on a trip. we always want to make sure they have something in their stomachs before they leave.

On a normal day, I usually get in and the first thing I do is walk around the building and check every room to make sure everything is set up for that morning’s programs. After that, I’ll check my e-mails to stay on top of things. We have a kitchen here, so I’ll also check in with the team in the kitchen to make sure they have everything they need for both breakfast and lunch. We have a great team that improvises really well if we run out of something.

Members often show up as early as 8:00 am. I’ll usually open The Center and work the front desk to greet them and help them sign in. The one thing I always tell my staff is to ‘treat every member as if we may be the only smile they see all day.’ That rule applies from the moment we open. I really enjoy being able to say hello to them first thing in the morning.

I’ll usually go back into my office before 9:00. Then, I meet with Julia Diggs, our program coordinator, to discuss the day’s activities and upcoming events. I’ll also meet with The Center’s counselor to discuss any cases she is managing. From there, I’ll check in with our In-Home Support Program (IHSP) about what they’re doing. IHSP serves as an incredibly positive resource for the older adults we serve. A lot of them may be isolated or managing significant challenges, whether they are physical or financial.

Our IHSP staff works very hard to make sure we’re meeting the needs of their program participants. For example, a participant may need a new refrigerator, or we may need to contact a contractor to complete some home repairs. In order to get these things done, we utilize discretionary spending, which requires a lot of paperwork, especially as IHSP is required to get two bids for each project or purchase.

Members usually continue to arrive throughout the morning. We’ll be packed for classes and programs at around 10:00 and I’ll go out into our main area, called the Atrium, to say hello to everyone. This is my favorite part of the job. I try to give our members as much time as I can, whether it’s talking to them about things involving The Center or their personal life. For me, it’s important that they feel listened to.

In addition to the programs we offer, The Center also invites vendors to come in as a service to our members. The vendors range in services and products. For example, we have a man that comes in to sell shoes for people with diabetes, a woman who sells cakes, and we even have some staff from the local dollar store who bring products so we save the seniors a trip. Since Julia Diggs is on a trip today and we have a vendor coming in, I’ll make sure they’re all set up and have what they need.

Throughout the day, when I have the opportunity, I’ll focus on completing paperwork, which covers several areas. One of the areas that is so important is writing applications for funding. This can be a lengthy process and I’m really grateful to have the support of people at Liberty Lutheran and here at The Center. The other aspects include writing reports to demonstrate we’re in compliance or to earn accreditations from outside organizations.

On a normal day, The Center closes at 4:30 pm, and I’ll probably be here with staff until 5:30 to 6:00 in the evening either completing paperwork, planning for a trip or major event, or setting up for the morning programs and breakfast. This also includes preparing for our weekend events, which I usually attend.

Today, because we have a trip, I need to make sure that the SEPTA bus services shows up in the evening to take our members home. If they see the lights out in The Center, they’ll stop the route. Because our groups get back late, such as today, I’ll probably be here until they arrive home to make sure everyone gets their ride.

I have been in the senior services industry for over 25 years. I am so happy to be at The West Philadelphia Senior Community Center. Throughout my career I’ve worked to make sure that I’m meeting and anticipating the needs of older adults, especially those who may be underserved. I’m very thankful to have a great team that enhances the quality of life of our members. That’s incredibly important for the community we’re in. It’s absolutely rewarding and gratifying.

As part of Liberty Lutheran’sA Day in the Life series, Andragina and Wanda share how they travel the neighborhoods of West Philadelphia to bring hope, fellowship, and safety to homebound seniors—many of whom might face dire conditions without their care and support. In their own words, here are some of the joys and challenges Andragina and Wanda find along the road.

AndraginaThis is the first time I’ve ever worked with seniors. My inspiration to do this work came from a scary situation I had with my elderly aunt who is very dear to me. My brother and I went over to her home for our usual Sunday visit and discovered she had suffered a fall four days earlier. She was virtually helpless for four days! That just horrified me and made me realize there needs to be more people to be able to check on our seniors, especially those who don’t have anyone. I kept thinking suppose no one went to see her—that was a defining moment for me.

WandaI am passionate about what I do. I get up with such zeal because I feel like somebody is going to get blessed today that may have been feeling hopeless. While they think I may just be setting them up for home-delivered meals or transportation, I may notice they don’t have gas or running water, or they have a leak from a ceiling that’s going to fall down. When I point it out they usually respond by saying something like “there’s nothing I can do—I can barely afford my medication.” They’re not even thinking of getting help for the lack of utilities or the structural disrepair in their home, but I have the resources to help this situation and then they get so excited. I get so filled up when somebody gets a blessing like this. It’s like Christmas for them!

For instance, I was helping a woman who was a very responsible person but had fallen behind in her bills due to depression from grieving the loss of her daughter and son. She didn’t have any heat in her house so I was able to refer her to a resource that would come and give her a heater. Also, she was so afraid to be without medical insurance, which cost more than $500. I talked to my supervisor and we were able to pay that for her. Additionally, at one point she called me and said she hadn’t eaten for a couple of days. I can’t imagine how it feels to be hungry—I was beside myself. My coworkers saw how filled up I was and started gathering all types of resources so that I could get food and necessities to her. The teamwork was so awesome that I was able to purchase food and provide her with groceries and other nutritional items. As we sat and talked she began to cry because she was so deeply moved by our outreach and concern. This is what I mean when I say somebody is going to get Christmas today—it’s what we do!

AndraginaA lot of the seniors we serve are blind. Quite a few have been exploited in some way and many are truly lonely because they are separated from family or have no family. We also encounter older adults who may have limited mobility, take multiple medications, need dialysis three times a week, or have mental health issues.

Despite these circumstances, many of the older adults we serve are so grateful for the smallest thing we can give them. Recently, I was able to provide for one of the seniors in my care a nutritional supplement that she had been awaiting for a couple of months. She was so very thankful. We’re able to visit someone and provide for them some of the small things we take for granted that they don’t have. As Wanda says, it’s like Christmas for them.

Like when I was working with an older woman whose eyesight and legs have been failing. She has steps and couldn’t get outside and really wanted the pleasure of once again being in her garden. We were able to get contractors to build her ramps and give her a sense of independence.

I’m also reminded of another woman I was helping who needed extermination for mice, roaches, and bedbugs. She was horribly dismayed about her situation because she had always kept a clean house. But, the problem was stemming from the two vacant houses on either side of her that were overrun with pests. I didn’t even pull off her block before I was on the phone with our extermination service. In the end, we were able to get her place exterminated and some of the clutter under control. Now her whole spirit is totally different—she is just so happy.

WandaI love feeling like somebody is going to get Christmas today and being able to make that happen! When we visit a senior we ask them what we can do that would make them more comfortable in their home. We let them know we can provide meals if it’s difficult for them to cook. Or sometimes, someone may be challenged by getting back and forth to the doctors because it costs $4.50 one way to go by paratransit, which is a lot for a senior who’s on a restricted income—but we come in and say you don’t have to bear the burden of payment because we can help you. We can help to obtain a household cleaning service, take care of a shutoff notice, or even provide funds that may be needed for movers if a senior is relocating to another address.

AndraginaThe difficult aspect of our job is to visit a senior who doesn’t have the basics of food or they don’t have family or support systems or no one really comes in to see them…and of course when they pass that’s devastating to all of us because we know them and have worked with them.

WandaFor me, a difficult aspect of the job is that I want to be effective and impactful when I go to an older adult’s home but it can sometimes be so overwhelmingly. Sometimes people have extreme clutter or they’re in situations where they’re being neglected in their home. If someone needs to leave their home it’s usually because of structural deficiencies…it’s hard because many have been in their home more than 50 years but the conditions may be so deteriorated that they need to get out for their own safety.

I once visited an older woman in her home who clearly needed to move. I knew she could quickly qualify for senior housing because of her situation. But, this woman just didn’t want to leave. She said she had an application in with the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation. Fortunately, because of that, I was able to get PHDC to expedite repairs for her home and also get her windows fixed. She was so elated. Afterward, she sent me a modest box with a pair of white gloves, a pair of stockings, and a card. I’ve kept all of those items because you could tell that was all she had but it was her way of thanking me.

AndraginaNone of what we do would be possible without the help and support of our director, supervisors, and our colleagues on the IHSP team—all whom empower and support us in providing the best care to those we serve. Liberty is truly a family that is concerned about us as employees and not just production and paperwork.